What it costs to sell a home in South Carolina — and what you'd walk away with.
Not the list price — the net. Sale price minus the handful of real costs a South Carolina seller pays, with the state's deed fee worked out for you and everything else yours to set. An estimate to think with before you talk to Robin, not a closing statement.
Want the sale price to be a real one? Ask Robin for a valuation — prepared by hand.
The South Carolina net sheet
What would you walk away with?
Move the numbers. The deed fee is South Carolina's; everything else is yours to set.
SC deed recording fee$1.85 per $500 of value · paid by the seller, by custom
Estimated net proceeds
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An estimate to think with, not a closing statement — your attorney prepares that. Line items from Robin's selling guide, step 7. Capital gains are separate: see the tax picture.
Every line on the sheet, explained.
What comes off the top between your sale price and your check — who sets it, who pays it, and where to read more. Nothing here is a guess; each line links to the guide it came from.
- Real estate commission
- Negotiated between you and your listing agent — there is no fixed or government-set rate — and it typically covers both the listing side and the buyer's-agent side. Discuss it directly before you sign a listing agreement. Selling guide, step 7
- Set byYou and your agentPaid at closing
- Deed recording fee
- South Carolina's version of a transfer tax: $1.85 per $500 of the property's value. By long-standing custom it falls to the seller — the reverse of most closing costs, which lean toward the buyer. Selling guide, step 7
- Set byThe State of South CarolinaSeller, by custom
- Closing attorney
- South Carolina requires a licensed attorney to conduct the closing. As a seller you'll usually want your own, reviewing the contract and title work, distinct from the buyer's. Loop them in as soon as you're under contract, not the week of closing. What to bring to closing
- Set byYour attorneyFee varies
- Mortgage payoff, prorations & credits
- Whatever you still owe on the home, property taxes prorated to closing day, and any repairs or credits negotiated after the inspection or appraisal. This is where the second and third rounds of negotiation show up on paper. Property taxes, explained
- Set byThe contractNetted at closing
- Capital gains — separate from the sheet
- A primary residence you've owned and lived in for 24 of the last 60 months can likely exclude up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 married filing jointly) federally. Second homes and investment properties don't get that, though South Carolina's 44% net capital gain deduction still applies. Talk to a CPA. The tax picture
- Set byThe IRS & SC DORNot a closing cost
What would your home sell for?
Tell Robin about the property and she'll prepare a market-based number by hand — then run it through the sheet.